Seats having synthetic foam cushions are widely employed in a variety of applications. As foam cushions in themselves have little structural strength, it is common to use a support frame or pan to receive and support the nonrigid components. Seats such as those used with tractors, garden tractors, lawn mowers and industrial equipment commonly consist of flexible components supported by a mounting pan assembly with a spring plate attached to the mounting pan the spring plate being interposed between the mounting pan and a mounting spring. The seat pan assemblies are most efficiently finished, such as by painting, after the spring plates are attached.
Part of the process of finishing the assembly is to clean the assembly to remove oil and dirt. Because recesses and irregularities exist on the assembly surfaces and between the assembled components, complete removal of the cleaning solution is difficult. The problem is that residual cleaning solution results in poor adhesion of the prime or finish coatings to the assembly or causes prime or finish coating runs.
Furthermore, seat fabrication employing a seat pan requires the seat pan embodiment to resist inelastic deformation, be easily and quickly assembled, and to maintain proper assembly alignment.